Random Oilers Thoughts
Posted 6:50 PM ET | Comments 12
Random Oilers Thoughts - The "I forgot my password" edition.
Yes folks, I am back after taking a few months off. Why did I come back? I never wanted to leave actually. I forgot my password/user name. Lame. I'm sure a quick email to the site admin would of helped but for whatever reason never fired one off. Oh well, no doubt everyone has had their fill of Oilers talk what with Yakupov, Schultz and the Linus Omark saga.
Linus took his blanket to Switzerland today. That he'll be playing in Europe next season isn't a shock. I think everyone knew this was coming. What did surprise me is the fact that he didn't sign in the SEL. He is a very popular player in his native Sweden and would of surly had many teams bidding for his services. Is the money better in the Swiss league? I don't know. Is the calibre of play higher? I don't think so. Perhaps his Swiss contract allowed him to bolt back to the NHL mid-season if the Oilers came calling. I wouldn't bother waiting by the phone Linus.
The more I look at the Oilers roster for next season, the more I see another first overall pick heading their way. Ok, maybe not first overall, but we will be seeing Steve Tambellini's mug on TSN watching the balls drop. Yakupov's 40-50 points will help if they are all even strength. The third ranked powerplay in the league last season doesn't need much help. Justin Schultz has a lot of work to do. Can't fault the Oilers for going after Schultz hard, everyone did. Why the team couldn't then go out and get the young man some help on the line is beyond me. Banking on a player fresh out of the NCAA to improve your D is a big gamble.
Speaking of D, let's take a quick look at the Oilers top six as it stands right now...because I have an issue:
Perty - Smid
Schultz - Schultz
Whitney - ???Peckham
This isn't a depth chart or my version of the what I think the pairings should be. This is just the top six. For argument's sake let's say Teddy Peckman is #6. Where does that leave Corey Potter and Andy Sutton? Last season both players expressed an interest in stay with the club. Both signed favorable contracts with the Oilers. Yes, Sutton's 1.75 is probably less that he would of gotten this summer. Is it not poor form for the Oilers to waive one of those guys through the league and plant him in the AHL? Is trading one of them any better? Someone is going to get shutout here and the Oilers are going to look bad for doing it. I know the NHL is a business and the players are well paid, but if they wanted to stay Oilers and the team resigned them, do the Oilers not have some obligation to find a spot for them? Theo Peckham's spot maybe? In my opinion, the Peckham signing was redundant and creates an unwanted log jam at the back end of the D core. Insert your own joke here if you like.
There you have it folks, a very off the cuff blog about the Edmonton Oilers. Now that I remember my log in and password, I'll make an effort to put two or three blogs up a week. Thanks for reading.
Yes folks, I am back after taking a few months off. Why did I come back? I never wanted to leave actually. I forgot my password/user name. Lame. I'm sure a quick email to the site admin would of helped but for whatever reason never fired one off. Oh well, no doubt everyone has had their fill of Oilers talk what with Yakupov, Schultz and the Linus Omark saga.
Linus took his blanket to Switzerland today. That he'll be playing in Europe next season isn't a shock. I think everyone knew this was coming. What did surprise me is the fact that he didn't sign in the SEL. He is a very popular player in his native Sweden and would of surly had many teams bidding for his services. Is the money better in the Swiss league? I don't know. Is the calibre of play higher? I don't think so. Perhaps his Swiss contract allowed him to bolt back to the NHL mid-season if the Oilers came calling. I wouldn't bother waiting by the phone Linus.
The more I look at the Oilers roster for next season, the more I see another first overall pick heading their way. Ok, maybe not first overall, but we will be seeing Steve Tambellini's mug on TSN watching the balls drop. Yakupov's 40-50 points will help if they are all even strength. The third ranked powerplay in the league last season doesn't need much help. Justin Schultz has a lot of work to do. Can't fault the Oilers for going after Schultz hard, everyone did. Why the team couldn't then go out and get the young man some help on the line is beyond me. Banking on a player fresh out of the NCAA to improve your D is a big gamble.
Speaking of D, let's take a quick look at the Oilers top six as it stands right now...because I have an issue:
Perty - Smid
Schultz - Schultz
Whitney - ???Peckham
This isn't a depth chart or my version of the what I think the pairings should be. This is just the top six. For argument's sake let's say Teddy Peckman is #6. Where does that leave Corey Potter and Andy Sutton? Last season both players expressed an interest in stay with the club. Both signed favorable contracts with the Oilers. Yes, Sutton's 1.75 is probably less that he would of gotten this summer. Is it not poor form for the Oilers to waive one of those guys through the league and plant him in the AHL? Is trading one of them any better? Someone is going to get shutout here and the Oilers are going to look bad for doing it. I know the NHL is a business and the players are well paid, but if they wanted to stay Oilers and the team resigned them, do the Oilers not have some obligation to find a spot for them? Theo Peckham's spot maybe? In my opinion, the Peckham signing was redundant and creates an unwanted log jam at the back end of the D core. Insert your own joke here if you like.
There you have it folks, a very off the cuff blog about the Edmonton Oilers. Now that I remember my log in and password, I'll make an effort to put two or three blogs up a week. Thanks for reading.
Tambellini should be taken out back of the arena and shot. Anyone can pick 1st overall. You have to actually do some work outside of losing every year to be better.
Trolley---That is a good point, and ties into what my next blog will be about. Thanks for reading.
Sutton and Peckham should be spending most of the year in the pressbox! The oilers need to use this year to decide if and where Fedun, Teubert are going to fit in. Same can be said for the front end of things, Paajarvi, Hartikaienen, Lander, and Pitlick, need some substantial playing time to establish themselves with the team or to be proved valuable enough for trade bait! Hordichuck and Belanger can eat popcorn in the pressbox.
Smid-PetryWhitney-NSchultzJSchultz-SuttonAnd you have a better Dcore than what you have posted.JSchultz will get 3rd pair minutes to start, and will see plenty of PP time to boost his min/night. As he proves himself he will move up the chart.What the Oilers need is to have Dubey perform to potential, and a better showing from the vets.
Swiss league has outs so Linus can comeback if the lockout isn't the whole year. The SEL isn't allowing that. I thought the KHL would've been the place for him to go though. Good blog, submit it to Ek. Cloutier may or may not be quiting.
I think in the new cba agreement there should be something preventing teams like edmonton from tanking evry season. there should be a rule that says your only allowed 2-3 1st overalls in a span of so many years. anyone that cant build a team around 1-2 exeptional players let alone 4 superstars shouldnt be a gm. i can remember a time a team had 4 superhigh pickss in a span of 4 years. look at detroit when was the last time they had a 1st overall.
Detroit went a span of four years picking in the top 10, one of those being the first pick in the early 80's. Around that time many of their picks were still near the top ten. Every teams had their share of rough years.
Ok that true. but they have been the most stable team in recent memory. eveb the habs havent had the first overal since 1981 they have only had 2 top 5s in the last 10-15 years or so. i might be wrong. just say someone with thatmany 1st overalls should be dominating. and "experts" are predicting another another top 3 overall pick in the future
good blog.think we'll be better than another first and hopefully wont even be in a lottery spot. but our biggest additions are kids that have never played in the nhl, so u never know.tambs should've got another player for the blueline.with or without said player, we need alot to go right.
Theo Peckem doesn't bring anything to the team, for what his role should be i would rather see Sutton at least to start the season, Also Potter and possibly Fedun have alot more versatility to there game.